Space Swords and Tea Leaves
by Butterfinger333
Summary: Post-War Tokka. Toph and Sokka go on a journey looking for Sokka's space sword, and while Toph tries to hide her crush, Sokka is oblivious as always. But can both of them recover the treasure that saved their lives without killing each other first?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Hey! So, I came up with this believable post-war Tokka story, and I thought it would be only fair of me to share it with all of you Tokka fans out there who still believe in post-war Tokka. I know I do. Also included: Kataang and Maiko. It starts out as Sukka, but that's probably how any post-war scenario would start. Also, I _hate_ bashing of any kind, so there will be no Suki/Sukka bashing in this story._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender or any of its characters. Mike and Bryan, the people who created this magnificent show, I worship thee._

* * *

"Move out of the way!" a young woman called into the crowded streets. "The Blind Bandit's here, and if you don't want your asses kicked, I suggest you let me through!"

Immediately, the people lining the roads frantically pushed and shoved their way to the sides of the road, hoping to give this threatening person enough birth as to not invoke her wrath. They learned long ago that the Blind Bandit was not one to be messed with, and it was best to avoid her altogether. One unfortunate soul, however, let slip a sullen thought traveling through his head at the moment.

"Why should we have to listen to a small brat?"

A collective gasp came from the crowd. The woman abruptly stopped in her tracks, letting the pedestrians take a good look at her. In reality her height was not on the small side, although the pedestrian may have been referring to her adolescent stature with that remark. Obvious to the audience, she was well into her teenage years, despite the fact her clothes could be considered unsuitable for a young woman to wear. She sported a green and yellow tunic, and despite the fact that it fit her comfortably, appearing as if it was recently tailored, it was smothered with dirt and mud. Finishing the rather brash outfit was a headband that complimented the green and yellow color scheme.

The woman adjusted this headband slightly, moved her foot swiftly, and before anyone realized what was going on, the man was soaring through the air only to land in a pile of trash. As the crowd started panicking, however, the young woman was well on her way.

She traversed the streets in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se until she reached a respectable looking building. Without bothering to knock, she slammed the door open and announced to the people gathered inside, "Here she is! The one, the only, the Blind Bandit!" As an afterthought she included, "Also known as Toph Bei Fong, for those who can't remember."

"Toph!" The crowd gathered exclaimed with joy as they all crowded around the surly young woman and hugged the life out of her, or so it seemed to Toph. Secretly afraid of being crushed, she choked out, "What _is_ it with you guys and group hugs?"

Not showing any sign of letting her get some air, the person closest to her, the one and only Avatar Aang, rolled his eyes and commented, "It's the price of being apart of the group. That, and you get hunted down by angry jerks all of the time."

"Hey!" exclaimed Zuko, said angry jerk.

"No denying it, Sparky," Toph commented. "And Twinkletoes, either I've shrunk some or you shot up half a foot."

"Thanks… I guess. You've grown too!" Aang tried to compliment, which resulted in a shove out of the group hug. Toph was enjoying her breath of fresh air, while others smirked at Aang.

"What did I do?" he asked, clueless.

Toph merely glared at him. "I can't believe people mistake you as a ladies man. How have you kept Katara for two years?"

"Aang, you have a lot to learn." The annoying voice that just spoke made Toph's heart skip a beat. She wasn't about to let anyone know that, though.

"You're one to talk, Sokka," she said dryly. "Aren't you the same guy that gotten thrown out of that haiku class for girls?"

"Umm… it's great to see you again."

Toph rolled her eyes at the lame change of topic. "It's so great to see you too!" Sokka seemed cheered up by that, but Toph continued, "At least that would be what I would say if I could _see_, but even then, I'm still not sure."

While Sokka looked around for any help, his girlfriend simply smirked at him. "Oh come on, Sokka," Suki said, "You were asking for that one. And what is this about girls and haikus?"

While Sokka blushed and stammered about how the embarrassing story was in reality not worth listening to, Toph squeezed her way through to the other people who haven't had opportunity to chat with her yet. She didn't have to search that hard, though, since one of those people ran up to her and gave her a tight hug.

"Toph!" Katara exclaimed to the girl she considered to be her best friend and younger sibling. "It's so great to see you! You look really great!" Toph smiled, which to others seemed unlike her, considering her previous actions.

Sokka interrupted his stuttering to exclaim in frustration, "If guys try to compliment you, they get beaten up. But it's totally okay for girls to. Why?"

Toph replied with a smirk, "It's more fun to beat up guys than girls. But it's especially fun to press _your_ buttons," she added under her breath.

Katara rolled her eyes and took back Toph's attention. "So, how are things with you and your parents?"

Toph frowned. "This is supposed to be a happy occasion. But, if you must know, since I'm turning sixteen in the coming year, they're bringing up the idea of marriage."

"Marriage?!" Almost everyone exclaimed. Sokka seemed especially startled about this. He suddenly popped up besides Toph, and asked the first question that came through his mind. "This wouldn't happen to be an arranged marriage, would it?"

"Of course," Toph replied sullenly. "My parents would never consider letting me choose, considering my poor taste."

Sokka's eye twitched. Without another word, he stormed outside. Exchanging an assuring look with the others, Suki followed after her boyfriend.

"What?" Toph asked aloud. "I'd probably ditch my parents before then, and my birthday is not for another half year or so."

Aang and Katara exchanged a glance, and Katara explained, "Sokka's a little touchy when it comes to arranged marriages. He'll probably tell you about it sometime."

Toph momentarily looked to where Sokka previously was, and then shrugged her shoulders. She moved towards the last two people she hadn't talked to yet, both conveniently located at the same table, so she pulled up a chair.

"Arranged marriage, huh." Mai commented in her usual monotone, throwing a stiletto onto to a bull's-eye attached to the side wall. "That sucks."

Toph snorted. "I don't see what the big deal is, Sharpy. I was gonna ditch my parents sooner or later, anyways. Now I have an actual reason to." Addressing the other, much older person at the table, she inquired, "Do you have any more tea, Iroh?"

"Certainly," Iroh smiled and handed her a cup he had been holding. "I brewed this special blend just for you, Toph. It enhances the senses of touch and hearing. I thought this would be something you would especially enjoy."

"Thank you," Toph said with much appreciation in her voice. Iroh was the one person she respected the most, and secretly, it meant a lot to her that he cared so much about her. After sipping her tea thoughtfully, she widened her eyes and proclaimed, "Wow! This stuff does wonders!"

Handing Toph some packets, Iroh said, "Here are some tea bags. Who knows? They might come in handy." He paused, and then started with a more serious tone, filled with wisdom, "So, why do you want to go against your parents wishes? They just want the best for you, I'm sure, and to secure you with a future."

Toph stated with an offhand attitude, "I can take care of myself. Always have, always will." She took another gulp of the tea, and felt a much larger rush from the effects.

Mai leaned in across the table towards her friend, folding her arms across her chest, and stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm an observant person, you know. I can tell when a person is lying almost as well as you can most of the time. And that's not the only reason you don't like this whole arranged marriage thing. The other reason is because you want the guy you've been crushing on for years: Sokka."

Toph's face turned beet red. Iroh raised his eyebrows. Mai picked at her nails with a dull knife. Finally, Toph asked in a strained tone, "Couldn't you have been a little more subtle with that?"

Mai raised her arms in defense. "Hey, I've been watching you and that guy for two years. Little blushes, accidental touches, it was making me nauseous. It was like watching my childhood with Zuko all over again. Too bad no one ever pushed anyone into a fountain this time around. But," she pointed towards Iroh, "the all-knowing Iroh is here, and no one else is here to make you embarrassed. Zuko tells me that Iroh's advice works miracles, so I figured that I'd help him help you solve the problem."

Toph raised her eyebrows. "So, in other words, you care about me enough to help me?" Mai shrugged her shoulders.

"You're easier to relate to than all of the other girls I know: crazy Azula, peppy Ty Lee, and the girly-girls Katara and Suki. We basically come from the same type of family, and have boy troubles. Besides that, Zuko and I made a bet on whether or not I could create a friend in the group."

"What are you wagering?"

This time, Mai blushed. "Umm…"

"On second thought, I don't want to know." Toph shuddered. "But back to me. What advice can possibly help me? I don't want to steal Sokka from Suki. That just seems wrong, and Suki doesn't deserve that. And plus, he can barely stand me as a friend. There's no way he could ever love me like he loves Suki."

Mai rolled her eyes. Iroh entered the dispute and commented, "Behind all of the clouds in the sky, there is a beautiful sun."

Mai translated, "Basically, beneath the show of bickering you two put up all of the time, you and Sokka are really close."

Iroh nodded his head in approval towards Mai, and Toph groaned. "So? Sokka and Suki are together. End of discussion."

Iroh said, "Love is a funny thing. It is like the mighty tides; always changing, eroding and shaping the cliffs into different structures. Sometimes, the cliffs crumble because of the erosion, and sometimes the cliffs are smoothed out into safe and peaceful hills, and other times the cliffs remained unchanged, looking upon the beauty of the waves that crash against its side. In any instance, the waves will act on the cliffs. Just like love will act on you. It is up to you to decide how to stand against the waves."

Mai explained nonchalantly, "Love is powerful. It can destroy your relationship, won't change your friendship, or will turn it into something stronger. It's all up to you. But there's no avoiding it. Did I get everything?" She asked Iroh in a bored tone.

Iroh smiled and nodded. Toph, however, was even more disgruntled. "Sokka. Likes. Suki. Not me. Put it through you brains! There is no hope for me! Do you really want me to tell Sokka how I feel and make everyone miserable? I'll survive, and don't waste your time giving me any advice that won't work! Just drop it!"

Toph stood up and stormed off to outside of the tea shop. Staring out into nothingness, she detached the special meteor bracelet, her most prized possession that Sokka gave her long ago, from her arm and smashed it into a ball. She then formed a heart from that ball, and broke the heart in half. Why does love have to be so confusing? She never asked for it; she never wanted it. It just came from nowhere, and it seemed to be crushing her. Whenever she and Sokka were together the feelings that came made her believe she was drowning and floating at the same time. And then she remembered she could never have Sokka. And she came crashing down. Hard.

Toph tried to fall out of love. She tried to pay attention to other guys. She isolated herself from Sokka, hoping that the feelings would fade. But it never worked, and the burden she carried continued to cause her more anguish.

After her grief started to fade away, she suddenly realized that Iroh's special tea still had some lingering effects. To her amazement, the lingering effects on the actual earth were even more incredible than the full-blown effects felt through the wood. She could "see" every nook and cranny of Ba Sing Se perfectly, and even a fuzzy image of the area surrounding the city. The tea helped her "see" flawlessly. As Iroh, Mai, and Zuko talked, she "saw" the precise movements of each of their jaws and tongues as they formed words. She "saw" Aang and Katara eat each other's faces off, although _that_ could have probably been something she didn't have to "see" so vividly. She "saw" Suki hugging Sokka, and she felt as if her heart had suddenly been torn out, for she could never comfort Sokka as his love, only as his friend. Friendship was good enough, of course, but Toph would always be left wishing. Wishing and suffering and yet somehow still content enough with Sokka at the same time.

Suddenly anxious for a distraction, Toph downed the rest of the tea Iroh gave to her. Pupils dilating, hands shaking, she collapsed on the ground. It was all overwhelming; she could "see" the desert, every grain of sand. She could "see" the ocean, the undiscovered creatures that hid deep below the surface, and its depth that went deeper and deeper. She could "see" it all. She could "see" the entire Earth Kingdom.

Dazed with this new strength, Toph suddenly found herself "seeing" the other side of the Earth Kingdom. She "saw" a cliff, a meadow, and in the middle of it all, something otherworldly yet very familiar…

Toph lazed in that spot for ten more minutes until she was sure she could stand up without falling down. As she got up and took a wobbly step forward, a figure burst out of the building, and ran to Toph, helping her stay stable. Of course, fate made the person that came the one she wanted to speak to the most at the moment.

"Toph, what happened?" Sokka asked her in an anxious tone.

Toph angled her head so it seemed like she was looking directly at Sokka. In a shaky voice, she answered,

"I found your space sword."

__

If you're confused, I promise it will all come together in the end. Comments greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for all of the feedback; it was honestly more than I expected. For those wondering about the powerful tea, that's coming up in a later chapter. Sorry._

_And on updating: I will try to update on weekends, but school and family might get in my way. I assure you, however, that I will finish each chapter on the weekend, and update sometime during that week._

_Disclaimer: Fact of the Day: I do not own Avatar. Mike and Bryan do._

* * *

"You found my space sword?" Skepticism, disbelief, and concern laced Sokka's voice as he peered at his shaken friend, while keeping her upright. In the middle of an intimate conversation with Suki on the balcony, he had noticed Toph collapsing onto the ground in front of the tea shop. Distressed, he immediately dashed outside to help her, and now he was pondering if she was delusional.

"It was amazing, Sokka. I saw the whole Earth Kingdom, and I found where your space sword was." She waved her arms around wildly, as if to emphasize her point. In one of those hands was her cup of tea. Toph narrowed her eyes as she realized Sokka was still staring at her, and poked Sokka hard in the chest. "You don't believe me, do you?" she accused.

"Sure I do." Sokka rubbed the back of his neck as he pointedly looked away.

"Liar," Toph sulked, crossing her arms. "Listen to me, Sokka! I know where it is! It's in this meadow by the ocean, and…" She gasped as Sokka suddenly placed his arm under her legs and his other arm under her back, gingerly lifting her up. He proceeded to carry Toph bridal-style into the tea shop. Unbeknownst to Sokka, Toph's face turned crimson. "Put. Me. Down," she commanded Sokka, even though secretly she wanted to stay in his cozy and secure arms. To Toph's annoyance, and her secret delight, Sokka ignored her.

Sokka snickered, a small smirk on his face. "You know," he commented, "I like it when you're off the ground. You can't hurt me as much."

"Oh yeah?" With the hand not holding the cup of tea, Toph punched Sokka in the arm. Hard.

"Ow!"

Toph grinned, obviously satisfied with causing Sokka pain. "Now put me down. I refuse to be carried inside. Everyone will probably die of laughter at that sight."

"Probably." With that, Sokka gently lowered Toph to the ground, and let her get on her feet.

"Thanks, Sokka. Honestly, I expected you to drop me on my butt." As Sokka took in a deep breath to begin his rebuttal, he suddenly found himself flying through the air, not unlike the pedestrian that Toph catapulted into the air earlier that day. After screaming like a little girl for a good five seconds, he finally hit the ground. Hard. Without giving Sokka time to recollect himself, Toph earthbended cuffs around his wrists and feet from the ground so that he couldn't move up.

"What's the big idea, Toph?" Sokka questioned irately, struggling unsuccessfully to free himself.

"Well, I catapulted you into the air as revenge for carrying me, and now you're stuck like this until you actually listen to me," Toph declared, glaring down at Sokka in hopes that he would consider her words.

"Toph, this is silly. My space sword was last seen on the other side of the Earth Kingdom. I doubt that it could have washed up here just after just two years." Sokka gave up on his space sword long ago; he thought it just wasn't worth wasting his time wishing for something he could never get back.

"But it _is_ on the other side of the Earth Kingdom! I saw it!" Toph insisted stubbornly.

"Toph, I know you can _see_ vibrations and all, but I highly doubt that you can see all the way to the other side of the Earth Kingdom."

"But I did!" Frustrated, Toph shoved her tea cup into Sokka's face. "Drink this!"

"Umm… Toph?" Sokka smiled weakly and wiggled his shackled hands. "Can't move my hands here."

"Oh. Right." Toph clutched to one of the pieces of earth securing Sokka's hands and crushed it as if was made of only dirt instead of rock. Sokka shook his hand at an attempt to get the circulation flowing, grabbed the cup from Toph, and took a swig at the small amount of tea remaining.

Immediately, Sokka felt a rush in his head as his hearing picked up the most sensitive sounds even three feet away, and as his feet picked up imperfections in the ground inconspicuous to the eye. It was as if he could _see_ like Toph _sees_. Sokka even suspected that he might possibly _feel_ slight vibrations in the earth and truly _see_ as Toph sees if he tried hard enough, but only for a couple of feet. Sokka _saw_ the world around him; he felt the wind gust as it brushed against his skin, and sound of its whoosh as it breezed past him. This enhancement in his senses lasted for only ten seconds, but it was more than enough for Sokka to somewhat understand how Toph _sees_.

When the effects wore off, Sokka lazed on the ground and gazed up at the sky, now turned midnight blue. Amazed and awed at what he just experienced, Sokka only managed to sigh, "Wow."

"Congratulations, Sokka." Toph plopped down next to Sokka and patted his head. "You just had a taste of Toph-o-vision." She turned her head up so that she could stare at whatever Sokka was staring, even though everything to her was just a dark void. As Sokka nodded, Toph added thoughtfully, "Of course, what you just experienced is just one hundredth of my ability. And even my ability was enhanced about a thousand times with that tea."

Sokka, still skeptic, maneuvered himself so he could gaze into Toph's pale green, useless eyes. "Don't you think you're over exaggerating a tiny bit, Toph?"

Toph moved her face forward a tiny bit, so that their noses were only separated by an inch. "Sokka, I know it sounds outrageous, but please believe me. As your friend," Toph beseeched from the bottom of her heart, wanting nothing more than for Sokka to believe her. The reason as to why was beyond her.

Sokka, slightly dazed from how close they were, had to recollect his mind before finally answering, "Ok, Toph. I believe you."

"Thank you, Snoozles." With that, Toph released Sokka from his earth binds with just a flick of her wrist.

As Sokka stretched out his sore arms and legs, he asked, "So, where is my space sword?"

Toph pondered this as they strolled back towards the tea shop. "I think it was south of the Wulong Forest, you know, the place we fought during Sozin's Comet?"

"Right… do you think you could point it out on a map?"

"I'm blind, Snoozles."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Apparently, Toph still felt like torturing Sokka, so she catapulted him once more, and Sokka soared headfirst into Iroh's tea shop. Five heads appeared on the sides of the door as they peered suspiciously at Toph.

"What? That was so coming to him."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Well, there you go. Not as long as my previous chapter, but sometimes less is more. I really like this chapter, though. It had Tokka, pure and simple. Comments are greatly appreciated!_

_~Butterfinger_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hate me, hit me with a stick like a piñata, whatever is fine because I feel SO bad for holding this chapter off for so long. School and sports make my life hectic, and I have two siblings to share my computer with, so it turns out my updates will be infrequent. Sorry! (No really, I truly am.)_

_Note: The first two sections are on the second night of the reunion; the third section is on the third day._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. Avatar owns me. (I read that disclaimer from somewhere; I just forget where. But it's still true.)_

* * *

"So," Katara started, "Let me get this straight. Through this tea Iroh gave Toph, her _sight_ got enhanced, and she saw your space sword all the way across the Earth Kingdom. Now, you and Toph are going to go get it."

Sokka nodded his head, his eyes bagging for belief from his sister and the Avatar.

"Well," Katara declared, folding her arms across her chest, "if you think Aang and I are going to let you borrow Appa, you have another thing coming, Sokka."

Sokka groaned in disappointment, slamming his head against the table in Iroh's shop that he, Katara, Aang, and Suki had all gathered around. He had planned on pleading his case to Katara and Aang in hopes that they will be convinced to let him and Toph borrow Appa for their journey, in order to make it shorter. However, Katara was so vehemently against the idea of loaning Appa for such a trivial cause that Sokka knew it wouldn't be wise to continue begging for Appa to help. When Katara made up her mind for something, Sokka knew from prior experience that things wouldn't end pleasantly if he continued to oppose her decision.

"Sokka," Aang attempted to comfort Sokka, for he was sympathetic to the cause, "It's not that we don't want to help, it's just that we need Appa to travel around the world so I can perform my Avatar duties."

"But how are we supposed to travel all the way across the Earth Kingdom without Appa?" Sokka wailed childishly, his voice sounding distorted as his face was still pressed against the table.

"You could walk," Aang offered as a futile attempt to help his friend feel better. Sokka's moaning against the table proved that he wasn't comforted.

"It's going to take forever, though," Sokka whined, finally lifting his head up from the table to reveal a large red mark on his forehead. "I want my space sword now."

"My boyfriend is such a baby," Suki apologized for Sokka's behavior as she rolled her eyes and leaned over to Sokka to rub the red spot on his forehead tenderly. Sokka pouted, which made Suki giggle, and prompted her to kiss him on the lips. As their kiss began to deepen, Aang and Katara made gagging noises, not even trying to conceal the rude noises from the other couple.

Sokka interrupted the kiss and frowned at his sister and her boyfriend. "What we were doing just now is not any worse than what you two do in public. Remember what happened on our way here?"

Aang and Katara blushed beet red at the memory. Sokka had sent the two out to get some food for their trip to Ba Sing Se. When the two didn't show up after two hours, Sokka decided to search for them, afraid that they had gotten captured by enemies, since they still had quite a few. However, Sokka found them making out at the plaza in the middle of the town, with onlookers gawking and whistling at them.

When both of them failed to create a good comeback, Sokka and Suki smirked, and then Sokka asked, "So, can we borrow Appa?"

"Making fun of us doesn't really help your argument, Sokka," Katara snapped, crossing her arms across her chest irately. She then grabbed Aang by his collar, and dragged him away, despite the choking noises he was making.

"Fine!" Sokka shouted angrily after his sister! "Suki, Toph, and I can get there without your help! After grumbling under his breath petulantly, he mused thoughtfully, "Actually, it could be nice, Suki, traveling through the countryside together."

"Actually, Sokka," Suki fiddled with her fingers awkwardly, said, "I can't come."

"WHAT?!" Sokka exclaimed, so startled that he knocked a tea cup off of the table, making the hot liquid fall onto his lap. He immediately got out of his chair and jumped around, screaming "Ow! It hurts! The pain!" After the liquid cooled off, Sokka recollected himself and sat back down in his chair as if that unfortunate incident hadn't happened. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"You know I would come, Sokka, but I'm just too busy with the Kyoshi Warriors," Suki explained. "I would have come if we were travelling on Appa, but travelling on land will just be too long. I'm sorry, Sokka, but I have to stay."

"Couldn't Ty Lee be in charge of the Kyoshi Warriors?" Sokka inquired hastily, "She's really learned a lot there." After considering the option further, both of them immediately responded, "Nah."

"Cheer up, Sokka," Suki tried to assuage her boyfriend's disappointment by commenting, "Just think of it like this, at least you and Toph can spend some quality time together."

Sokka groaned.

* * *

"So," Toph asked intently, seeming to gaze at Iroh, "What's with the tea?"

Iroh pondered her question while examining the plant that he derived the special sense-enhancing tea from. After several moments of contemplation, he finally answered, "This plant is one of the main things that badgermoles eat. It has been theorized that they eat it since it enhances their abilities. You, Toph, are very much like the badgermole, so it would affect you as it affects the badgermoles. As for its invigorating effects, the part of the plant I extracted the tea from is the part that enhances senses. Given to you in such a raw intense form, even though slightly subdued by the water, the tea leaves allowed you to _see_ across the Earth Kingdom. If I gave the tea to a badgermole, the same results would probably occur." Iroh mused about the possibilities while stroking his beard. However, as he turned his attention back to Toph, he realized that she had dozed off sometime during his exploration, her head leaning off to the side.

He stretched his arm across the table and gently shook Toph's shoulder, causing her to snap her head back up. She exclaimed frantically, "Guys, we're being ambushed!" She then attempted to earthbend despite the fact that she was on a wooden floor, causing Iroh to raise an eyebrow. However, as she realized that it was Iroh who woke her, she quickly shouted, "Never mind!"

However, it seemed that two had wanted to investigate the commotion. Mai and Zuko strode towards the table and pulled up a chair so that the couple was sitting opposite of each other. Zuko then faced Toph, obviously annoyed, and questioned irately, "What was that about?"

Toph reclined on her chair, causing it to tip, and responded obnoxiously, "Well, I'm sorry I interrupted your little make out session." Zuko and Mai glanced at each other, and then quickly looked away. One could say that they were almost blushing.

Seeming to have ignored Toph's comment about his nephew, Iroh addressed Toph once more, "This is important, so try not to fall asleep." After making sure Toph was entirely focused on him, Iroh continued, "Try to not drink the tea in large amounts. Seeing as how one small sip of the tea caused such huge effects, I worry as to how you will react from a huge amount of that tea. After all, too much power might leave you altered forever."

"Like Azula!" Toph joked. However, after noticing everyone's somber countenance, Toph realized Azula's family members and former best friend might be slightly touchy on that subject. "Sorry," Toph apologized, a rare thing for the Blind Bandit to do.

"It's okay," Iroh smiled.

"And I forgive you for disrupting Mai and I," Zuko added, wanting to practice his diplomatic skills with his friend. "After all, it's not like you would understand, considering Sokka's taken and all…" Zuko immediately covered his mouth. Iroh raised an eyebrow. Mai yawned. And Toph, surprisingly, was very calm, considering the circumstances.

"What did you just say, Sparky?" Toph asked in a sickly sweet tone after sitting up straight in her chair..

"Well, I, um…" Zuko stuttered, literally sweating in fear for what the person sitting next to him might do.

"I think you just inferred that I liked Snoozles," Toph continued. "Why would you even think that?"

Zuko considered that it would just be better to come clean with Toph, since she could tell if he was lying anyway. "I sort of overheard your conversation last night…" he confessed as he played with his fingers, afraid to look at Toph.

"That's what I thought," Toph responded in her sickly sweet tone. "And do you know what I'm gonna do now, Sparky?"

"Umm…" The Fire Lord tried to slide his chair away from Toph's.

"Nothing."

Zuko breathed in a sigh of relief. "Thanks Toph!" he beamed at his friend. "I promise I won't tell anyone!"

Still speaking in the creepy voice, Toph continued, "Good. Because if you do, I will use you as a ball and kick you around with earthbending until every bone in your body is broken."

Zuko weakly smiled, "My lips are sealed."

Mai leaned over and whispered in Toph's ear, "You have to teach me how to scare him like that."

* * *

Unfortunately, just as quickly as the reunion started, it ended, and it was time for everyone in the gang to get back to their regular lives and duties. As everyone hugged each other, sad to be parted (except for Mai, of course), Toph deliberately avoided Sokka, since she was going to have to spend who knows how much time with him. Sokka's goodbye with Suki, which Toph tried to ignore, was very heartfelt, and they got a good makeout session in before Katara pulled them apart, mortified that Sokka had some makeup smudges on his face. Katara and Aang had a makeout session, despite the fact that they weren't leaving each other, so Sokka had to separate them. Sokka then pulled Aang aside and whispered menacingly in his ear, "Don't try anything with my sister." Aang gulped and nodded.

When Toph was saying her farewells to Zuko and Mai, Mai handed her a bag of gold for the journey she and Sokka were about to partake in. "Thanks Sharpy, but Sugarqueen already gave Sokka some money," Toph said.

Zuko gave Sokka a sideways glance, and turned his attention back to Toph. "You'll probably need some extra money for Sokka's extra large appetite, considering he ate half of my uncle's biscuits. And besides, Sokka's not that great with money."

Toph snickered as she remembered the story that Katara told her about a bag Sokka bought, which led to the gang meeting her. "And just remember Zuko," Toph warned, "your mouth is sealed."

Zuko gulped and nodded. As Toph began to go to Iroh and say her goodbyes, she suddenly turned around and commented, "And Mai, you've been a great _friend_." Zuko's jaw dropped and Mai smirked as Toph winked at Zuko. She then went to Iroh, who held five packets of tea. He then proceeded to give them to her as he warned, "Remember, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing." Leaning down, he added, whispering, "And good luck with Sokka."

Toph rolled her eyes as she pocketed the tea bags. Travelling to the front door, she shouted, "Sokka! We're leaving!"

Sokka shouted a few more hasty goodbyes and ran out the door to catch up with Toph.

Zuko whispered to Mai, "Do you think they'll survive?"

Mai murmured in her monotone, "The obstacles? Yes? Each other? Probably not."

* * *

_So there you go. After three chapters of building this up, the adventure has finally begun. And Sokka and Toph just might kill each other. Who knows? Oh wait, I do._

_Fun fact of the day: assuage and countenance are some of my SAT words from English. Do they make my writing sophisticated?_

_Comments are much appreciated! (Seriously, they let me know how to improve my writing to make my story better, so everyone benefits!)_

_~Butterfinger_


	4. Chapter 4

_Happy New Year! Yeah, so school=a lot of time. Sports=a lot of time. So, this will take a lot time as well._

_Disclaimer: The New Year brings many things. But it does not, or will not, under any circumstances, bring me ownership of Avatar: The Last Airbender._

_

* * *

_

"Hey Sokka," Toph asked the warrior across from her as she yawned and stretched on the silk cushion she reclined on. "What time is it?"

Sokka shrugged and glanced through the window behind him, where he could barely see the great walls of Ba Sing Se blemish the otherwise flat horizon. Even less noticeable was the small sliver of sunlight, which covered the top of the great walls. Its brilliance contrasted with the dimming sky, already filled with shades of purple and blue, and oddly enough, the tiniest sliver of green. Sokka rubbed his eyes again, and squinted at the horizon. _Green_? Must be his tired mind messing with him.

"Sokka!" Toph's annoyance could be heard from the tone in her voice. She didn't like to be ignored.

"Oh, right," Sokka came out of his reverie and replied, "It's sunset."

"_That_ early?" Toph planted her face on the cushion and moaned. "Why is it that traveling all day makes me tired? I'm not even _doing_ anything!"

"Listen, Toph," Sokka attempted to soothe her, "I'm tired, too. There's no need to act all cranky."

Toph sent a glare through narrowed eyes in Sokka's direction. He immediately flinched from the ferocity of her glare, causing Toph's smirk to emerge; a smirk that Sokka knew all too well. "Listen, Snoozles," Toph started, while Sokka prepared himself for the sarcasm and torture that was bound to come. "I happen to remember that you are a _very_ cranky person when woken, so you shouldn't be talking. And also, if you ever call me cranky ever again, I swear I will kick your ass right here without even earthbending."

Leaning away from Toph, as he was sitting as far away from her already, Sokka gulped as he tried not to tick her off anymore. "I don't snore that much anymore," Sokka retorted, "Suki can sleep the whole night through."

All of a sudden, surprising Sokka, Toph's eye twitched slightly. Sokka couldn't guess as to why what he said had infuriated Toph to the point where her eye started twitching. This small twitch only lasted less than a second, though, so Sokka assumed that he was forgiven for whatever Toph was annoyed about.

However, Toph smirked once more and commented, "I don't think she would be able to hear your snores with all of the earwax piled in her ear. Is she so much of a lady that she can't even stick a finger in her ear?"

Annoyed at Toph's insult, the only defense Sokka could come up with was to immaturely stick out his tongue, and sullenly jerk his head to the side and pout, causing Toph to snort loudly. "That's it!" Sokka exclaimed, "I'm not talking to you for the rest of this trip!"

Exasperated with Sokka, Toph blew her bangs out of her face, frustrated, and said, "Fine. But when you need your ass saved, don't come to me."

Five awkward minutes of silence passed. Sokka finally caved in and broke the silence, which was really starting to irk him. "Why do you curse so much anyway, Toph? It's rude."

Toph shrugged nonchalantly and stated, "It makes me seem tough. I have to be aggressive in order to survive in the big world of earthbending thugs and bullies, as not many girls even qualify for Earth Rumble. And I'm not a weak little girl."

Slightly afraid of invoking her wrath, Sokka remarked, "Yeah, but the girl I know can be brash, tough, _and_ terrifying without cursing. Honestly, you seem less genuine when you curse. But this is just me thinking here." The pitch of his voice rose slightly as his eyes followed Toph's hands, which were slowly and threateningly cracking her fingers one by one.

Facing towards Sokka, Toph grinned, "Never mind the fact that your thinking is often flawed." Stretching her hands behind her back, Toph lay down on the cushion and added, "But I'll keep that in mind."

More silence soon followed that short exchange of words. Sokka, bored out of his mind, decided it more entertaining to bicker with Toph than to do nothing, so he opened his mouth with sarcastic words on his tongue. However, before the words escaped his lips, a loud snore erupted from Toph. The irony of the situation caused Sokka to sulk. "I totally don't snore that loud," he muttered sullenly.

"Yes you do." This unexpected remark from jump caused Sokka to jolt out of his seat and fall onto the jostling floor of the carriage. Getting up, he peered at Toph, who still seemed to be sleeping. However, she continued to talk, proving that she was indeed still awake. "You also talk loud, so I suggest keeping your mouth shut or else risk being thrown out of this carriage."

After twenty minutes, Toph began to snore once more. Sokka sighed and decided that he might as well drift off to sleep too. Laying his head down on the pillow, Sokka soon found himself dreaming.

_Sokka looks up at the sky. No, he _is _the sky. He is the dark blue of night, always chasing after his light blue sister. She always travels with the yellow sun, which is filled with hope and light. The sun was once blocked, creating a world of darkness and shadows. Now, the sun and the day sky are together forever, as it is always meant to be. Sokka soon finds himself looking at the moon. The moon and the night sky are meant to be together just as the sun and the day sky are. Slowly, though, the moon is obscured from him as it becomes dark. The new moon. Still there, but gone from sight._

_Without her, the night sky has a hole that cannot be filled._

_Without the moon, life still goes on. The night sky notices the other parts of the sky, which before were too small to notice out of the big things in his life. Now, they fascinate the night sky. Right next to him a gentle and calming purple stretch of sky tenderly touched him and soothed his hurt. He then notices a red streak splashes the boundary between him and the day sky. The red streak is fiery and passionate, but also warm and friendly. A dark and apathetic dark grey cloud travels with him, but as of late the stormy cloud has become more white and fluffy. Completing the sky is a pink and bubbly line, sometimes too overly cheerful for the night sky's taste._

_With these newfound discoveries, the night sky no longer feels the burn of the emptiness. _

_But something is still missing._

_Even with the love of the purple sky, the night sky is still missing something. The white moon has become the colorful sky in his heart, but one important and distinct color is missing from this spectrum. Once in a while, the night sky catches a glimpse of a different color flitting in the sky, a brash and bold green. The green never sticks around long, and he has no idea why. But this green sky fascinates him. After observing this sky for a long time, the night sky has come to the conclusion that the green never sticks around for long because she is lonely. Every single part of the sky has their counterpart (except for the pink sky, but she is happy as she is). The green sky has no one._

_One evening, the night sky calls out to the green sky. She turns to him, and then disappears once more. Disappointed, the night sky tries to call the green sky every evening with the same results. It's a never ending cycle, until one evening the green sky finally replies:_

"_Wake up Sokka. See what's in front of you. Wake up. Wake up…"_

"WAKE UP!" Sokka jumped off the seat and rubbed his sore head. Glaring at Toph, she elaborated, "We've got trouble." Looking outside of the carriage, Sokka wished that he was back sleeping, as the carriage was surrounded.

* * *

_This story has cliffhangers?!?!?!_

_Hehehe. So for those thinking that there is no green in the sky, I take Physics, and I recently learned about the physical aspects on how the colors from the white light of the sky refract into the colors we see in the sky. And the way the light refracts, green doesn't appear. But this is the Avatarverse, where the laws of the physics don't apply. So the sky can be green for two seconds. Yeah._

_Reviews greatly appreciated!_

_~Butterfinger_


	5. Chapter 5

_The most epic fail of all time has happened. No, it has nothing to do with the Avatar casting. I'm talking about Avatar not being nominated for KCA. I personally am boycotting the KCA this year, but if you plan to vote, vote for the Fairly Odd Parents to win, as many Avatards are doing this in order to bring down the Sponge again._

_Fact of the day: Today is the start of TOKKA WEEK!! Check out my Tokka Week stories!_

_Disclaimer: No profit is being made. Avatar is owned by Mike and Bryan. I do not own anything. Wait, was that in the right order?_

* * *

Jumping out of the carriage, Toph quickly assumed her earthbending stance and demanded, "Go away right now unless you want to face the wrath of the greatest earthbender in the world!"

Still slightly disoriented from his deep sleep, Sokka stumbled out behind Toph and tripped over his own feet, landing face first on the ground. "Yeah," Sokka yawned. "Whoever you are, you won't get away with whatever you want from us." Glancing up at the men looming over him, he questioned, "So what's your deal? Are you guys assassins? Bounty hunters? Rebels?"

Slightly confused, two of the men glanced at each other before one of them replied warily, "We just want your money…"

Sokka raised an eyebrow, as Toph scoffed at the men. "You're just some robbers who want to try to steal our money?" Snorting, she exclaimed, "We had to deal with Saber-Toothed Mooselions that are tougher than you guys!" Pointing back at Sokka, she amended with a smirk, "Or at least, tougher than Snoozles over here."

"Hey!" Both the group of men and Sokka exclaimed at the young earthbender. As the robbers advanced on the two warriors, Toph yawned and flicked her wrist, propelling the vagabonds into the air. When they came crashing down to the earth, Toph raised her arms, creating slabs of rock that encased the thieves into a boxlike prison.

Dusting some dirt off her shoulder, Toph stated, "That should hold them."

A still irate Sokka asked, "Well, are we gonna go or what?"

"Yes, but we have some problems."

Sokka turned his head to the sky, and crossly wondered why the universe hated them so. "What now?"

Toph shook her head mockingly and declared, "You're really out of it in the morning, Snoozles. Or really inattentive. In case you hadn't noticed, one of the guys that was just trying to rob us was the guy driving our carriage." As Sokka groaned at their misfortune, Toph added. "They broke the carriage wheels so that we couldn't get away. So what do we get do now, oh great master of creating plans?"

Sokka ignored that last sarcastic comment, and stroked his chin, obviously exaggerating the effort he was putting into thinking. "Well," he mused, "we could camp out for the night, and you can drink some of that special tea to see where the next town is."

"That's brilliant, Sokka!" Toph exclaimed. Sokka beamed at the compliment, however, he gawked at Toph as she added, "And it only took five minutes for you to realize that, while I thought of that in two seconds! Let's get our money and get out of here." Before Sokka could retaliate, Toph was already climbing into the ruined carriage and grabbing their belongings. Sokka sighed. It was only one day into their journey and he was already sick of Toph's jabs and pokes at him, both with her fists and with her words.

* * *

"So…"

"Just spit it out whatever you want to say, Snoozles."

"It's nothing."

"Whatever."

"I was just wondering…"

"Oh, I get it. You overworked your brain, and need me to literally knock some sense into your head."

"No! I was wondering about that arranged marriage thing your parents were doing…"

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, it's no big deal. I'm not coming back ever again, so I have nothing to worry about."

"You don't want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Oh. Well, I'm here when you're ready to talk about it."

"Sokka, there's nothing to talk about."

"Right, right."

"Why do you care so much, anyway?"

"…"

"…"

"I'll tell you another time, Toph."

* * *

After trudging through miles of rocky terrain, Sokka and Toph finally found an adequate place to camp for the night. A small freshwater pond filled with fish for food was surrounded by soft and cushiony grass, perfect for sleeping on. Several trees were nearby, so they didn't have to worry about finding wood for a fire. After settling in to their makeshift camp, Toph noticed that Sokka was abnormally silent. In fact, after that small conversation they had earlier in the day, Sokka seemed to be in his own world. Toph sighed; it was no fun to be around Sokka while he was in a somber mood; it was making Toph feel sort of depressed, too. She wanted Sokka to feel better, or at least show some sort of emotion familiar to her. She smirked, as she thought of a way to get Sokka back to his normal self. Bending an earth chair out of the ground, Toph sat in it and swung her feet over the side of the earthen chair.

"I'm bored."

"Alright," Sokka mumbled apathetically. Sitting on the ground, he was poking some blades of grass with his finger, obviously out of it.

Not satisfied with his answer, she commanded, "Entertain me."

Looking up at Toph with a surprised countenance, he asked, "What?"

Smirking, Toph repeated, "Entertain me."

Sokka rolled his eyes and maneuvered his body so that he wasn't facing Toph. Glaring over his shoulder at Toph, he said, "I am not your servant!"

"Oh really? Then why did you make the fire, set up the tent, and cook the meal?"

Both of them knew the answer was that Sokka was only trying to distract himself, but Sokka answered with an alternative answer as an attempt to tick off Toph, "Because you can't do any of that stuff."

Toph stuck out her tongue and sighed overdramatically. "Well, I can't entertain myself, so you'll have to do that too."

He groaned in frustration and went back to poking blades of grass. However, with a subtle flick of her hand, a mound of earth shot out of the ground, causing Sokka to soar into the air. Screaming, he waved his arms around frantically until he landed on the ground, flat on his face, right in front of Toph's feet.

"Sokka, you are going to entertain me one way or another," Toph stated with a maniacal smirk. "You can either entertain me your way, or you can have tons of bruises in the morning. It's your choice."

"Fine," he grumbled, standing up and brushing dirt off of his shirt. "Once upon a time there was a little blind girl who kicked butt. The end."

"Hey!" Toph protested, her eyes opened in mock outrage, "I'm not little anymore!"

"Well," Sokka smirked, patting Toph on her head, "You're still smaller than me, squirt."

Toph stuck out her tongue, and complained, "Hey! Only I can make up nicknames!"

Suddenly, both of them burst out laughing. After the laughter died out, Sokka smiled, "Thanks, Toph. I needed that."

Toph felt a blush forming on her face, so she turned her face away and stated, "Well, you still need to entertain me, Snoozles."

"Fine, squirt." After receiving a painful punch in the arm, Sokka hastily declared, "Okay! No more nicknames!" After debating on what would be an entertaining (and nonphysical) activity to do, he finally suggested, "How about 20 Questions?"

"20 Questions?" Toph frowned. "Isn't that a girly-girl game that bubbleheaded girls like Ty Lee would play at sleepovers?"

"Well," Sokka rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "Suki told me about it."

"Oh. Well, Suki's not a bubblehead, so I guess it's okay…" Truthfully, Toph had nothing against Suki. She just held a tiny bit of resentment against her for dating Sokka. That was why Suki and Toph never had a chance of getting along like how Mai and Toph did, or even how Katara and Toph did.

"Okay…" Sokka pondered his question carefully, as it wasn't likely that another opportunity like this would come up ever again. "What's your favorite type of food?"

"Seriously, Sokka?" Toph snorted. "You could have asked me anything, and you ask what my favorite food is? Well, I guess it's anything with meat."

"Cool! Me too!"

"Ah man!" Toph snapped her fingers in sarcastic disappointment. "There goes my next question! Um… what was the scariest moment of your life?"

"Probably when we were surrounded by firebenders on that airship during Sozin's Comet," Sokka stated without hesitation. "What was your most embarrassing moment ever?"

Toph groaned, "Do I have to answer that?"

Sokka smirked, "Of course." _This is awesome blackmail!_

Toph knew what the answer was, of course, but she was reluctant to tell Sokka that she had kissed Suki, thinking that she was Sokka. So, instead, she lied, "It would have to be when my shirt got torn off during one of my earthbending tournaments."

Sokka gaped at her. "What?! So guys saw your…" He pointed at her chest awkwardly, too embarrassed to finish his question.

Toph snorted, "Yeah. It happened six months ago. Don't worry. All of the guys that whistled or said inappropriate things got the crud kicked out of them. So basically, I had to destroy the stadium." She smirked at the memory. But kissing Suki was still ten times more embarrassing. Ignoring the fact that Sokka was still in shock, she continued with her next question.

The game continued, and the two friends learned more about each other than they ever knew. Through laughs, awkward moments, and thoughtful silences, their bond deepened, and as they approached the final questions, the questions became deeper and more personal. As Toph giggled about finding out that Sokka's first kiss was with Katara as a dare by the little kids in his village (Katara had proceeded to beat up Sokka), Sokka asked his final question:

"Do you have a crush on anyone?"

Toph froze, and thought over the question. He didn't ask _who_ she liked, so she thought it was safe to answer truthfully. "Yup."

"Really?" Sokka asked incredulously. "Who is it?"

"Sorry, Snoozles," Toph smirked. "But that is one question too many. Anyway, we should get some rest for tomorrow." Leaving a very flustered Sokka, she set up an earth tent several yards away, and entered it without another word.

* * *

_Hehehe._

_Reviews greatly appreciated!_

_~Butterfinger_


	6. Chapter 6

_Bad news. My sister discovered anime. So now, she hogs the computer for half of the day. However, she did let me stay on a little longer so I can finish this chapter. So thanks little sister. :)_

_The following chapter takes place daybreak to midnight. Just throwing that out there._

_Avatar n'est pas à moi. (French to English translation: Avatar doesn't belong to me)_

* * *

Toph opened her eyelids as the smell of herbs wafted through her nose. Immediately, from the very smell of the herbs, her "sight" sharpened as her feet made out every crack in a pebble near her body and her ears picked out the increasingly annoying whistling located near the origin of the smell. Then again, Toph would have heard the whistling from across the plain, considering it came from the loudest person in the world. It was a wonder that she slept at all last night.

Groaning, Toph shook her head, causing a shower of dust to sprinkle her clothes. After brushing off the dirt, she placed each hand on both earth tent walls, and shoved the walls away. As the remains of the earth tent collapsed on the ground, Toph felt Sokka flinch and turn his head towards the blind earthbender.

Toph stomped irately towards Sokka and the boiling pot full of the special tea. When Sokka cowered before Toph, expecting a painful punch, Toph instead stomped the ground with her foot. While Sokka catapulted into the air, screaming, Toph leaned towards the teapot and sniffed the steam, feeling the power of the enriched "sight" surge through her. She then calmly stepped to the side as Sokka landed face first in the dirt.

Crouching down so Sokka could see her face, Toph said, "That was for waking me up."

As she moved back towards the pot, smirking, Sokka clambered up onto his feet and sarcastically replied, "Well, next time I won't try to do something nice for you. You can just make your tea all by yourself."

Toph sighed and elaborated, "No, I am thankful for that. But someone with a tendency to make loud noises shouldn't whistle while a girl who has a heightened sense of hearing is sleeping. Especially when her hearing is enhanced by the smell of a certain tea."

"Right. Sorry." As Toph grabbed a piece of bread on the makeshift table nearby, Sokka grabbed the teapot and poured the tea into a cup. After Toph wolfed down the bread, she snatched the cup from Sokka and consumed the drink in one gulp.

"Seeing" an enhanced plain was nothing like "seeing" an enhanced city. As no buildings populated the area, Toph could focus more on the area rather than the distracting structures. Like before, the enhanced "sight" of Sokka distracted her. She could make out every hair on his head, the eyelashes surrounding his wide eyes, and the outline of the muscles on his arms. She could "see" other parts too, but she moved on before she could concentrate on those parts. As Toph focused on the surroundings, she "saw" a deep abyss filled with rushing water not too far from their location. The river stretched out from one huge body of water to another, but a familiar passage lead from one side of the river to another. Small structures and moving bodies were by the river in another area, and a narrow piece of land extended into the river. Another pier was located on the opposite side of the river. And as bafore, she "saw" a certain unique metal beyond the area, except slightly more defined.

Slowly, the effects of the tea started to fade away, and Toph realized that her body rested in Sokka's lap. She didn't know how she ended up on top of Sokka, or how he ended up on the ground, but she decided to relax in that position until the effects completely wore off. Toph couldn't help but notice how Sokka heart beat abnormally fast, or how he reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair back into her headband. If the surreal effects of the tea hadn't made her heart already beat abnormally fast, this tender moment with Sokka surely would have done it.

After five minutes, Toph felt the last of the enriched "sight" fade away. Her eyes shot open, and she shoved Sokka in the chest hard to get herself off of him. "WHY THE HELL AM I ON YOU?!" she screamed as she jumped onto her feet. Sokka's heartbeat rose in fear.

"Well…" Sokka started weakly, "you, um, were falling, and when I tried to catch you, you collapsed on me." Sokka's voice broke on the last part of his sentence.

"Oh." Toph assumed as much, but she wanted to make sure. _After all, Sokka has Suki to do that type of stuff with_. Ignoring the awkward moment as though it didn't happen, Toph stated, "There's a river that we have to cross in order to get into the southern part of the Earth Kingdom. There's a village not too far from here that provides boats to get to the other side."

Sokka groaned and asked, "Is there any other way that we can cross the river and not waste our money on a boat ride?"

"Unless you want to cross the Serpent's Pass, no."

"Boat village it is, then,"

* * *

During the entire morning, Toph and Sokka trudged towards the village, or rather; Sokka followed Toph to the village, as Toph was the one who knew where it was. Their usual bickering took up most of the trip, but a certain topic kept on popping up.

"So… Toph… who do you like?"

Toph groaned. She should have never told Sokka she had a crush on someone. In reality, it was actually _love_, but that was something that she wasn't ready to reveal to him. After all, a crush was easy to let go of, and it implied that there was nothing serious about it. Love, on the other hand, is very real and powerful, and she didn't want Sokka sleuthing into it that much.

"I'm not telling."

"Well, if I guess and I get it right, will you let me know?"

"No." _Not in a million years. Or a trillion years. Or even if the universe imploded._

"Hmm… is it Teo?"

"Why would I like Teo? Just because we are both physically impaired doesn't mean we automatically find romance because of it. Besides, he's too much of an airbender for an earthbender like me."

"That crosses off Teo, then." _Damn. He's doing process of elimination._

"Well, I never said it _wasn't_ Teo…"

"You might as well have," Sokka smirked. "How about the Duke? You two seemed pretty cuddly during the invasion. And I saw you two hugging at Zuko's coronation."

Toph stuck out her tongue, but didn't respond to his musings.

"Umm… oh! I know! You like that Ohev guy!"

"I haven't seen him since that Love Festival thing."

"But you've been secretly writing to him, haven't you?"

"That, my friend, deserves a punch."

"OW! Sorry, sorry… is it some guy I've never met before?"

"I'm not telling you, Snoozles."

"Come on, Toph…" Sokka whined. "Why not?"

"Because…" Toph bit her lip, thinking of a good excuse. "If I tell you, the guy I like will find out, and he'll reject me."

"Aww, Toph…" Sokka pulled Toph back and hugged her, much to the surprise of Toph. "Any guy would be an idiot to not like you."

Toph couldn't help but snort at the irony. After all, Sokka _was_ the king of idiots. Some of the time. Instead of shoving Sokka away from her, she ducked under his arms and continued on their path nonchalantly. Sokka quickly dashed back next to Toph and scrunched his forehead in thought.

"Hmm… is this guy taken?"

Toph skipped a beat. _Damn, Sokka can be really perceptive when he feels like it. _"Like I said before, Snoozles, I'm not telling you."

"Well," Sokka declared, "I will find out who you like by the time this trip is over!"

_Spirits, let's hope not._

* * *

By the middle of the day, Toph could hear the rushing water from the river. An hour later, Sokka stated that he could hear it as well. Then, as the middle of the afternoon approached, Sokka exclaimed that the village was in sight.

"Finally," Toph muttered. She didn't think she could handle anymore interrogations.

"Civilization!" Sokka exclaimed in overly-tearful joy as he spun around with his hands in the air. "I've missed you so much! I might have gone insane if I stayed out there for another second!" This comment earned him a not-so-friendly punch from Toph. "Ow!" Sokka whined, rubbing his soar arm. "Can you not punch me in the same spot every single time? This bruise will never heal." Glancing around, however, he quickly realized that Toph had already started walking towards the town, and he quickly dashed to catch up to her.

Sounds of the bustling activity in the town melded with those of the river. The amiable townsfolk glanced up as they heard the stomping and bickering of the duo. Some smiled, some rolled their eyes, but most just turned their attention back to their work.

"Excuse me?" Sokka walked up to a girl about Toph's age. "Can you direct us to the docks?"

The girl turned around, about to give directions, but as she looked at Sokka, she froze, with her mouth hanging agape. "Ohmigosh!" she squealed. "You're Sokka!"

"Um… yeah." Sokka started slowly backing away from the girl. It seemed as if the girl was having a mental breakdown.

"Listen," Toph spoke, cracking her knuckled menacingly, "We just want directions."

The girl ignored Toph, and tucked a stray hair behind her ear flirtatiously. "You know," she batted her eyes at Sokka. "You're a lot cuter than the war stories say you are."

"Um…" Sokka rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm already seeing someone else…"

"Yeah," Toph interrupted, knowing that she would regret this. "Me." As Sokka and the girl stared at her in shock, she pulled Sokka's shirt collar and yanked him away from the girl. Before Sokka could say anything, Toph whispered, "Listen. As Suki is currently not here, I'm going to save you from enduring this girl's flirting."

"Uh… sure, Toph," Sokka muttered awkwardly.

"Just don't say a word and you'll do fine." The two walked back to the girl, who was stomping her foot with impatience. "So," Toph asked, "Can you tell us where the docks are?" When the girl looked at the "couple" as if expecting something, Sokka wrapped an arm around Toph and pulled her closer to him. Even though it was an act, Toph couldn't help but blush at the intimate gesture.

After staring down Toph for several moments, the girl sighed in defeat and pointed down a street. "The dock is at the end of that road. The next boat leaves in thirty minutes."

"Thank you," Toph replied icily as she and Sokka strolled away. Sokka leaned down and whispered in her ear, "The blush was a nice touch, by the way."

Toph muttered, "If I wasn't the greatest earthbender in the world, I would have been an actress." As they continued walking down the road, Toph said, "You can let go of me, now."

"Oh, right."

As they walked towards the dock in an awkward silence, the girl ran up behind them and offered a place for them to sleep for the night. "My house is across the river," she explained, "And my parents would be more than happy to offer their house to such a famous war hero."

"Really?" Sokka sounded more than ecstatic at the prospect of sleeping in an actual bed. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome." She winked and added, "And my name's Akina, by the way."

Toph knew this wasn't going to end well.

* * *

"So," Akina addressed Sokka, "How long have you two been going out?" The three were relaxing in her house after eating what seemed like a feast to the two travelers. While Akina sat in a chair, the supposed couple leaned on each other on the sofa.

"Ever since the war ended," Toph answered for Sokka, knowing that he would be too slow to think of an answer quickly. "We've known each other ever since I joined his group as the Avatar's earthbending teacher, and when we were hanging onto each other for our lives during Sozin's Comet, we realized our feelings for each other."

While Akina let that sink in, Sokka whispered to Toph, "That was good, but how did you think of it so quickly?" Toph shrugged; she wasn't about to reveal that she secretly fantasized that situation in the back of her head frequently. Especially because it made her think she was obsessing too much.

"Wait…" Akina pondered, "If you're the Avatar's earthbender teacher…" she gasped. "You must be Toph!"

Disgruntled that Akina didn't realize this immediately, Toph asked, "What? You hear more about the Avatar's warrior friend than the blind earthbender? I didn't realize that warriors made better legends than the greatest earthbender in the world."

"It's not that," Akina explained, "It's just that… the stories tell of a blind child, not a blind young woman. I always imagined you to be much shorter."

Toph snorted, "Well, that's what three years will do to you."

Akina giggled, "I guess that you really are a great match for Sokka. After all, your sarcasm almost can compete with his." As Toph frowned, Akina quickly added, "I'm sorry I was tough on you earlier. But there is one thing I don't get…"

"How I can stand his snoring?" Toph asked, punching Sokka lightly in the arm.

"No." After pausing for a minute, Akina continued, "After going out for three years, you don't seem as comfortable with each other as a couple should."

"What are you talking about?" Sokka wrapped an arm around Toph's shoulder. "We're close emotionally and physically."

"Well, that's just it. It's just weird that I haven't seen you two kiss once during this entire day."

Sokka and Toph froze. Then, Sokka cleared his throat and said, "Well, if we start kissing, then, uh, we'll really get at it, and it'd just be awkward with you sitting there."

"Oh!" Akina beamed, "I'll just leave then so you two can be alone." With that, she scurried out of the room, leaving Sokka and Toph in an awkward silence.

Toph groaned, and whispered in Sokka's ear, "She's watching us, probably to make sure we're actually going out. What should we do?"

Sokka sighed, and replied, "Well, you better start acting again." Suddenly, he pulled Toph's head towards his and pressed his lips against hers. Toph's eyes widened in surprise, and she pushed against Sokka's chest.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Toph whispered ferociously while Sokka stared at her sheepishly. "If it had to come to this, why not just tell the truth?"

"Because, this is better than having a girl flirt with me."

"Sure, Sokka."

"You know I would do the same for you if a stalker boy was out to get you."

"You wouldn't need to. I would beat the hell out of him," Toph smirked. "But, as you obviously can't even fight a girl, I guess I can do this for you." Abruptly, Toph tackled Sokka and smashed her lips on his, causing them both to fall off the couch. Sokka grabbed Toph's waist and pulled her closer towards him so their bodies melded together, as if they were two puzzle pieces that fit together. He felt Toph smile faintly against his lips, and then she rolled over so that she was on top of him. Sokka's surprise to Toph's kissing expertise couldn't compare to the extreme pleasure Toph was experiencing, even though it was an act on Sokka's behalf. After several moments of this, Toph unexpectedly pushed herself off Sokka's chest and rolled onto the floor beside him.

"She stopped watching," Toph gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"Not bad, Toph," Sokka panted, rolling onto his side so he could gaze at Toph.

Toph didn't want Sokka to see her face, so she remained on her back, her face angled towards the ceiling. "We're going to forget we ever did this, right?"

"Of course."

* * *

Later that night, Toph tossed and turned in the bed offered by Akina and her family. Sokka rested in the room across the hall, conveniently located next to Akina's bedroom. Toph, despite all of her mental effort, couldn't keep her mind off Sokka. For just five minutes, she felt as if Sokka had belonged to her. She selfishly didn't stop her makeout with Sokka when Akina stopped watching after three minutes; the bliss distracted her to the point where she stopped caring. Only when she remembered that Sokka wasn't and would never be hers did she pushed him away. That was what kept her up that night. The fact that Sokka was Suki's. Not hers.

* * *

_The night sky touches the green sky at last. If only for a moment, the night sky feels truly complete. It is as if his purpose has been finally fulfilled. However, the green sky disappears almost immediately. The hole the night sky feels, barely noticeable before, leaves a searing pain after the green sky is gone._

_And meanwhile, the purple sky looks on, unable to do anything._

* * *

_There you go. My longest chapter yet._

_I'm beginning to realize that Tokka is similar to another couple in a different, live action series. Especially with the makeouts that occur despite the fact that they're only friends. The first person that gets the show will get a special look into a later and very hilarious chapter!_

_Reviews greatly appreciated! (Especially for this chapter; as I am unsure about half of the things I put in here)_

_~Butterfinger_


	7. Chapter 7

_I'__m back! Again! With school done and finals over, I will dedicate myself to this fanfic! And to working on AMVs._

_BTW, I'm canceling the contest. I've realized that many shows can seem similar to this, so it's not the best contest to have. Sorry. :(_

_Haikus are awesome.  
__Ask Sokka, the haiku pimp.  
__I don't own Avatar._

* * *

News travels quickly, but for some strange reason it seems to travel faster to Kyoshi Island than other places. One would expect that any place in the middle of an ocean would receive any piece of gossip last, but similar to how Zuko tracked Aang to this island in a different era, rumors from an unknown peasant girl spread across the world with an unusual swiftness. Just two days after this girl talked to her neighbor about what had transpired between her two unique guests, a Kyoshi Warrior heard a retelling of the events from a naval officer reloading their ship at the island. Of course, as it is with many rumors, the words become twisted as they pass from one person to another…

Suki's precision and grace as she danced around the training room with her fan halted the Kyoshi Warrior for a moment as she watched her fellow warrior in awe. Her fan seemed to connect with her body as she slashed it through the air, using both defensive and offensive tactics in her movements. Suddenly, Suki's purple eyes flashed towards the previously unnoticed warrior, who grinned, completely unfazed.

"Hi, Suki!" The warrior jumped into the room with a triple flip and landed on her feet with her stance unwavering. "You'll never guess what I've heard!"

"Ty Lee," Suki sighed as she folded her fan and placed it in her belt. "Whatever you have to say, I've probably already heard it. From you. I know we're friends, and I know you've had some not so great friends in the past, but it's sometimes necessary to give your friends some alone time."

Ty Lee's grin didn't faltered, and she continued enthusiastically, "But I heard something about Sokka!"

"Really?" Suki asked enthusiastically as a small blush appeared on her face, despite the heavy layer of white makeup. "What did you hear from him?"

"Well, it's not exactly from him…" Ty Lee started to twiddle her finger, an usual act for the usually bubbly girl. "But I heard," her voice dropped into a rushed whisper, "I heard Toph and Sokka had sex!"

An awkward moment of silence followed that disturbing piece of information. Unexpectedly, Suki burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh, the things people will come up with!" she laughed as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Ty Lee watched on, obviously confused. "Suki, I thought you were going to go crazy with rage, not laugh about it. I thought I was going to need to paralyze you."

"Oh, Ty Lee," Suki replied as she wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder, "You have to learn to ignore these rumors. Someone probably saw Toph and Sokka travelling together, and they automatically jumped to the conclusion that they are a couple. And, to make their story especially interesting, they add some juicy details."

"But doesn't it make sense?" Ty Lee countered. "I mean, we all know Toph has a crush on Sokka. Travelling together, alone, don't you think that she might make her move on Sokka?"

Suki turned somber and commented gravely, "Ty Lee, Toph is not that type of girl. She may have a crush on Sokka, but she likes Sokka enough to not mess with our relationship. She respects me as well, even if she can't like me as much since I'm dating Sokka. Most importantly, she values her friendship with Sokka too much to screw it up by telling Sokka how she really feels. She may not be his girlfriend, but she's his best friend, and that seems to be good enough for her."

"But how do you know all this?" Ty Lee asked. She always thought of Toph as the greatest earthbender ever who had a crush on Sokka, but she never bothered to look deeper into the earthbender's persona.

"Oh, I have eyes," Suki smirked. "Since Sokka seems to be blind to everything obvious in this world, I have to watch out for both of us."

* * *

"It was nice of you to let us stay in your house last night," Toph grumbled under her breath to her overly gracious host as she supported a still tired Sokka to the awaiting carriage.

"It was my pleasure," Akina replied in a guarded tone.

"S'not even noon yet, Toph," Sokka mumbled incoherently, "Can't we stay a little longer…"

Toph felt Akina's head turn so fast it was bound to cause whiplash. "No," she stated firmly. Despite being as… interesting experience to say the least, Toph was sick of the charade. Besides, her musings last night left her feeling incredibly guilty about the whole thing, so she wanted to stop this as soon as possible for Suki's sake.

When the duo reached the carriage, Sokka collapsed on the closest seat. Toph sighed, ad gently positioned Sokka's legs that were sticking out of the carriage onto the wooden floor. She then brushed some dirt off her hands and turned back to Akina.

"Are you sure this guy is safe?" She verified, referring to the man driving the carriage.

"He a friend; he won't do you any harm." Akina paused, and then stated, "It's nice to see how well you watch over Sokka."

Toph turned her head away and blew her bangs out of her face. "Well, not everyone can put up with Snoozles."

"You're actions towards him are touchingly, and something surprisingly affectionate." Akina glanced towards the slumbering boy almost longingly, and then grinned once more.

"Have a great journey," were Akina's last words to Toph. "I hope you find what you are looking for."

* * *

"Mmm… meat," Sokka yawned as he reached out above him to catch the seal jerky just out of his reach. "Come to me…"

Toph drew the line at this point. Listening to Snoozles earn his namesake was one thing, but hearing him ramble in his sleep all morning was an entirely different matter. She supposed it only occurred on rare occasions, though, as she never heard it from him before. She would have to ask Katara about that the next time she saw her.

"C'mon meat," Sokka continued, "I only want to eat you…" Past being sick of this nonsense, Toph leaned over and flicked Sokka's face.

"Ow! Bad meat!" Sokka exclaimed as he rubbed his sore cheek. Finally opening his eyes, he glanced around, still dazed, before noticing Toph. "Oh. Hi sweetie!"

Toph flicked him once more for good measure before leaning back on her seat. "We've left, Snoozles. You can stop the 'couple' act. And if you ever call me sweetie again, your will be buried so deep into the earth you will melt from the heat down there."

"Oh," Sokka frowned, trying to assess his current situation. To be fair, he first thought he was back on Kyoshi Island, and the woman clad in green before him was Suki. However, all the memories of the past week flooded back, and he remembered his current mission with Toph. "So… where are we off to now?"

"We're getting a ride across the desert from some old friends."

* * *

Late that afternoon, the carriage stopped at the edge of the desert. After the man who brought them there received his money and drove off, Sokka asked, "So, how exactly do you plan to convince the Sandbenders to lend us a sand sailer?"

Toph grinned. "Don't forget, Sokka. I've learned some tricks since we've last seen our old pals. Besaides, they still owe us _big_ time."

Sokka sighed as he turned towards the desert. This place didn't bring a lot of pleasant memories. From the idea for the failed invasion plan to the sandbenders kidnapping Appa, this vast expanse of sand seemed to cause nothing but misery. He supposed, however, that he should be grateful that they revisited during the fall, as it felt slightly cooler than he remembered.

Toph pulled Sokka's sleeve and guided him into the sand. _It's also good that Toph learned how to sandbend_, Sokka thought gratefully.

For the next half hour, Sokka trudged through the sand with Toph being his only guide to survival. They wandered silently, not finding the strength to break the tranquility that the desert seemed to emanate. Sokka kept track of how far the sun sank in the sky as each step took him deeper into the desert. When the ground seemed to touch the sky, Sokka swore he saw a tiny sliver of green sky, as he had the other day. However, when he rubbed his eyes to remove a grain of sand, it disappeared.

"Are we there yet?" Sokka whined.

"If you would stop looking at the sky," Toph replied saucily, "you would see a tent right in front of you."

"Oh." Sokka and Toph stopped before dozens of sand sailers surrounding a large wooden building.

"Hmm…" Sokka mused as he stroked his chin, "They probably built a portable house and moved it here with sandbending."

"Whatever." Toph grabbed Sokka and dragged him to the entrance. Before raising her fist to the entrance, Sokka stuck his arm in front of Toph in oder to stop her.

"Allow me," Sokka grinned at Toph before using both fists to pound on the door. As the door opened, a sandbender emerged with an irked expression.

After glancing once at the duo, he commanded, "Leave." Then he slammed the door in Sokka's face.

Toph narrowed her eyes as she recognized the familiar voice. "It seems that our friend is still a little shy." Once she cracked her knuckles, Toph pulled her space rock bracelet from her arm and bended it into a saw. She proceeded to cut out the doorknob, and then pushed the door in. The sandbender looked on in shock as Toph picked up the sawed-off doorknob and calmly handed it to him. Other sandbenders watched on warily as the familiar faces calmly surrounded their disgraced clan member.

"Hey, Gashiun," Toph smirked, "Long time no see. I need a favor."

"Li-listen," Gashiun stuttered nervously, "I already helped you out before. I thought that was all in the past, and-"

"What my son is trying to say," an older sandbender interrupted, walked up behind Gashiun, "is that he will be happy to help out anyone who he has wronged."

"Yes, father…" Gashiun mumbled crossly, as he avoided all eye contact, especially from Sha-Mo, "I was getting to that."

"Sure," Toph drawled, enjoying watching Gashiun squirm. "I'm sure he felt that when he locked us out."

Gashiun looked down at his feet, avoiding his father's harsh glare. "Well," he changed the subject with a bitter tone, "What do you want?"

"We want to borrow a sand sailer to get across the desert."

Before Gashiun could speak, Sha-Mo answered, "Of course. You can borrow Gashiun's sailer."

As Gashiun gawked in shock, Toph replied sweetly, "Thank you, Gashiun. I just need a quick lesson on how to control it."

"It will be his pleasure." Sha-Mo glared at his son, and then turned back to the travelers. "No, actually, he'll drive you across the desert himself." This resulted in a groan from all three.

* * *

"Here's the rules," Gashiun explained as he untied the rope that kept his sand sailer down. "Number one: don't wreck my sailer. Number two: don't bother me when I'm driving."

"Whatever," Sokka rolled his eyes as he jumped on board. Toph, on the other hand, roughly shoved Gashiun off of the sailer before jumping on. Afterwards, she immediately sat down next to Sokka and latched onto his arm for support on the wood as Gashiun jumped on and began to travel to the south.

As the sun faded completely from the sky, Sokka felt Toph drift off into slumber, still gripping onto Sokka's arm while they traveled at high speeds. Gashiun bended the sand swiftly without once looking back to his unwanted guests. Sokka tried to ignore the overbearing silence, but finally succumbed from boredom.

"So…" Sokka cleared his throat awkwardly as Gashiun continued to pay no heed towards the Water Tribe warrior. "How have things been?"

Gashiun scoffed, "Very well, considering how my father has no respect for me now because of you."

Sokka glared at their guide. "Well," he retorted scornfully, "I wonder why, after you stole the Avatar's bison!"

"How should I have known?!"

"Why should you be stealing?!"

After a pause, Gashiun mumbled, "I had no choice."

"Sure," Sokka said, "I'm sure that out here in the desert, you can gamble all your money away."

"I didn't gamble!" Gashiun exclaimed. "I just… wanted to help the sandbenders. After all, things aren't that cheap in the desert."

"Well," Sokka asked, "have you learned your lesson?"

"I haven't stolen anything after that…"

"But you still feel no remorse," Sokka concluded. "You haven't truly learned from this experience. You just don't want to get in trouble again."

"Whatever," Gashiun said, exasperated, and turned his attention once more to sandbending.

Sokka narrowed his eyes, and folded his arms across his chest. This action, however, caused Toph's head to fall onto his lap. His expression softened, and he tenderly tucked a stray piece of hair back into her bun.

"So…" Gashiun commented awkwardly, "Are you two dating or something?"

"What?!" Sokka nearly shouted, startled at this sudden accusation. "No way! She's like a little sister…" Somehow, this sentence felt weird to say. He attributed this to their pretend makeout the other way; after all, he would never make out with Katara. And whatever he did in his childhood doesn't count!

"Okay… don't have to be so harsh…" Gashiun backed off. After another uncomfortable silence, he finally stated, "I guess I do feel bad about what I did three years ago. The Avatar seemed pretty distressed. It's a good thing the other girl was there to calm them down."

"Yeah… that girl is my sister, and they're dating now."

"Really?"

Sokka often gets teased about how he stupidly drank cactus juice when they were trying to escape the desert. He contributed it to "_desert insanity"_. Likewise, he contributed the sudden and unexplainable comradeship with Gashiun to the same syndrome. He would have blamed his strangely affectionate behavior towards Toph on the illness, with his glancing at her every minute and adjusting himself to try and make her more comfortable. However, that didn't seem right, similar to how calling her his little sister didn't fit their relationship anymore. _What happened?_ was the question going through Sokka's head as they travelled across the desert.

The next morning, at the same time when Suki heard a certain rumor, Toph woke up to a beaming Snoozles peering down at her. He greeted her with, "Good morning, sleepyhead!"

…Which Toph responded to by punching Sokka in the arm. Hard.

* * *

_In case you weren't sure. Gashiun was the Sadnbender that kidnapped Appa in The Desert._ Sha-Mo _is his father._

_As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!_

_~Butterfinger_


	8. Chapter 8

_Meep. So here's the new chapter. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar._

* * *

"Hmm…" Sokka thought aloud as he gazed at the surrounding area. "This place looks familiar…"

"Don't overwork your brain, Snoozles," Toph replied, "You might break it. Anyway, this is the place where Aang first learned earthbending. Or," she added, snickering, "the place where you spent an entire day in a hole."

Sokka groaned, "I try not to remember some memories, Toph. You know," he added with a grin slowly forming on his face, "we should head through Gaoling and reminisce about when we first met! I seem to recall you got stuck in a box."

"It was not my fault," Toph growled. "Aang was distracting me, and we were ambushed."

"Whatever. I seem to recall having to come and save your butt."

"Well, _I _seem to recall you fainting after witnessing the awesomeness that is me."

Sokka sulked for the rest of the day. Toph felt some relief when he seemed to forget about visiting Gaoling.

* * *

"This place looks familiar."

"Déjà vu," Toph muttered as Sokka examined the ghost town the following day. Finally, his face lit up in realization.

"This is the place where we all faced off against Azula!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Is it just me, or are we taking a trip down Memory Lane?" Toph asked as Sokka examined various buildings that were scorched from the battle.

"Come on, Toph!" Sokka exclaimed as he suddenly grabbed the blind earthbender and dragged her around the abandoned town, "You have to admit that it's fun just looking around and reminiscing about the good times!"

"Ah yes," Toph deadpanned. "Being hunted down by three crazed chicks and seeing an old man get hit by lightning. That definitely qualifies as _good_."

"Hey, do you remember how you stormed off after everyone got extremely annoyed with each other?" Sokka chuckled, ignoring Toph's snarky comment. "Good times."

"I only just wish that instead of just earthbending you to get out of my way, I catapulted you all the way to the Fire Nation," Toph smirked. "That way, the brain damage you would have received would have canceled out with the brain damage you already have. Hopefully."

Sokka pouted for the rest of the day as they continued on through the mountains.

* * *

After another long and monotonous day of traversing through the mountain range, Sokka glanced up to the sky and noticed several dark storm clouds approaching from the distance. "It looks like it's going to rain."

"Yeah," Toph agreed, obviously not pleased. "It'll probably keep us here for another day or two."

"Well, at least we somehow got through most of the mountain range in just three days," Sokka smiled.

"Always the optimist," Toph commented dryly.

"Hey!" Sokka protested mockingly as the pair started trekking through the rocky terrain once more. "How dare you call me that when you are well acquainted with my sister! Katara is the ultimate optimist in our group!"

Toph waved her hand around dramatically while pronouncing, "And the award for being the biggest optimist in the world goes to the one and only Sugar Queen herself!"

Sokka chuckled as he bowed, "I will be accepting this award for my dear sister, as she could not be here."

"She was too busy making out with the savior of the world," Toph sniggered.

Pretending to gag, Sokka said, "It's always an unpleasant experience when you remember that your sister is dating your best guy friend, even if they are a great couple."

"You are such a hopeless romantic," Toph teased as she playfully punched Sokka. _It's still gonna bruise, though_, Sokka thought ruefully.

After a short pause, Toph inquired, "Best _guy_ friend?"

"Well, yeah," Sokka shrugged. "Zuko comes in a close second, though. You obviously know where Suki stands, and Mai has grown on me. I count her as my favorite platonic girl friend, if that makes sense."

"If it comes from you, it never does." Unable to control her curiosity, Toph quickly blurted, "What about me?"

Sokka raised an eyebrow at the blind earthbender, and he simply stated, "You're my best friend, period."

"Oh." Despite her natural dislike of anything corny or sweet, Toph surprisingly found herself touched by this statement. Even if she couldn't help but feel romantically attracted to Sokka, she realized that she still had an extraordinary relationship with him. And if she could never be with him as a couple, their friendship would be more than enough to leave her satisfied.

With this new revelation in mind, Toph punched Sokka with more fervor than necessary. "Well, you can actually stand me, so I guess that counts for something," she said gruffly while trying to hide a small smile.

As Sokka rubbed his sore arm, he muttered, "I should get a medal for being the bravest guy in the world."

Toph flung an arm around Sokka's shoulder, and said, "You've got me. What more do you want?"

As he placed his own arm around Toph's neck, he replied, "A way to receive your affection painlessly."

"Don't push your luck, Snoozles."

* * *

When the first raindrops fell from the sky, Toph earthbended a hole into the side of a mountain for shelter. Sokka informed Toph that it might pour for at least a day, but more likely two. Grateful that Gashiun provided them with enough food to last two weeks, Toph's only worry was being stuck in a cave for possibly two days with Sokka. Despite the fond moment they shared together an hour ago, there was only so much mushiness Toph could handle.

However, after eating a mostly silent dinner, Toph and Sokka soon resorted back to goofing around while they sat next to each other around a lantern.

"So we agree that Mai and Zuko are together because she is the only one who can smother his fiery personality with her unemotional attitude?"

"Definitely. And Katara is with Aang because he is the one who actually enjoys her motherly tendencies."

"Well, I'd like to think that Aang helps Katara to be a kid again," Sokka interjected. "I mean… you know."

Toph nodded, remembering their talk brought about by her short-lived career as The Runaway. As they both remained silent, absorbed in their own memories, Sokka suddenly asked, "So we're going to Gaoling, right?"

Toph paled; she thought Sokka had forgotten about that! Trying to remain composed, Toph quickly replied, "Why do you want to go there? In case you don't remember, I'm not really ever going back to that town."

"Well," Sokka explained, "I thought you might need a chance to go back to talk to your parents. And I could act as a mediator or something."

"So you're now a counselor?" Toph grimaced.

"Well…" Quickly, Sokka reached into his bag and pulled out a bushy clump. When Sokka fastened the thing to his face, Toph's eyes widened in realization.

"You kept the Wang Fire beard after all these years?" Toph asked in disbelief. "I thought that was a dead ratmole you had in your purse!"

"One, this is a bag, not a purse, and two," Sokka spoke pompously in his Wang Fire voice, "Wang Fire knows what ails all. Now tell me, what seems to be the problem?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon, open up to Wang Fire! Tell me, are you afraid to face your parents?"

"No."

"Are you afraid they won't listen to you? Do you think you'll disappoint them? Do you have a fear of marriage in general? Or arranged marriages in particular? I understand how you feel if that's the case."

"Don't you think you're being a _tiny bit _insensitive, Sokka?" Toph asked, extremely annoyed with the rapid-fire questions. "What's your problem with arranged marriages anyway?"

Sokka froze, and both realized how intense their conversation had gotten when they reached this delicate subject. Slowly, he unattached his Wang Fire beard, and glanced at Toph's eyes. "You know, you're eyes remind me of the moon."

"Ah, yes," Toph replied icily. "The big floating sphere in the sky that I have no way of sensing."

"Sorry," Sokka apologized meekly before continuing, "Do you know what happened at the North Pole?"

"Well, I first heard about it from that awful Ember Island play. Way to keep me in the loop, by the way." Sokka smiled sheepishly at this. "Since I wanted an accurate description of what happened, Katara told me that Zhao killed the moon spirit, and then a princess named Yue became the moon spirit in its place. Meanwhile, Aang turned into a big fish with the ocean spirit's help, and got rid of the invading army."

"Hmm." Sokka frowned. "Katara left me a lot of the hard stuff. Did you know I actually loved the moon spirit?" He paused, and added, "Still do, in fact."

"I thought as much, the way you bawled during the play," Toph said, and then she frowned, "You _still_ love her?"

"Yeah. The ones you love never leave you, you know."

"Suki is okay with that?" Toph asked curiously.

"She understands." Sokka then remembered his main point. "Yue was to be in an arranged marriage with a man she didn't love, though. She was going to go through with it because it was her duty to."

"Oh." Toph never heard this part to the tragedy.

"Her father arranged the marriage." Sokka sighed, "I would like to think that if she talked about how she felt with her father instead of just following her duty, he would have been more understanding."

"But I don't need my parents to understand!" Toph interjected.

"But shouldn't you at least talk about it with them? I just wish that Yue and Chief Arnook had a chance to talk before she… moved on."

Toph frowned. She would never do it herself, but Sokka was obviously going to be persistent about this. "I would never _ever_ do this after what they said…"

Sokka frowned.

"_But_, since you obviously won't let this go, I'll _try_ to talk to them. Just to set your mind at ease."

"Thank you!" Sokka leaned over and hugged Toph ecstatically. "I know I shouldn't really care about your personal business, but I really want to help out with this!"

"Stop acting even more hyper than Ty Lee," Toph muttered. She, however, did not push Sokka away. "I do, however, want to hear the _entire_ story about what happened at the North Pole." Sokka let go of Toph, and she felt a sudden need to explain herself. "It's only fair that I invade your personal life since you invaded mine."

"Okay."

This stunned Toph. "…Wait, really?"

"Sure," Sokka smiled. "C'mon Toph, we're best friends! And besides, you've been out of the loop for way too long."

* * *

"I change my mind."

"Too late, Toph," Sokka grinned as he forcibly dragged her through the streets of Gaoling.

"I think the world will be okay if I never speak to my parents ever again."

"It's not _that_ big a deal."

"Exactly! You know, being stuck in that cave for two days made me think about it, and I've decided that the impulsive decision I made was in a moment of bad judgment."

"But you _promised_!" Sokka pouted.

"I promised that I would try to talk to them. And I tried by actually setting foot in this town. Now I want to go back. This journey is for your sword, after all, not for me." As Toph stomped through the streets of Gaoling, her footprints left an imprint in the ground. The citizens of the town nervously backed away from the pair.

"Did you destroy half of the town the last time you were here?" Sokka asked, suddenly wary of all of the frightened eyes.

"Well, it was just the Bei Fong estate." Toph said, and then smirked. "Come to think of it, that is half of the town." She then frowned again. "Stop distracting me, Snoozles. I'm leaving right now."

"But Toph…!"

"No buts!" Toph interrupted.

"We're here, though." Toph, distracted by her anger, froze as she realized that she and Sokka had reached the door of the newly remodeled Bei Fong estate. Sokka smiled encouragingly at Toph. "Well?"

"I'm still leaving!" Toph furiously shouted.

As she turned around, though, Sokka solemnly asked, "So the Blind Bandit can face off against a dozen wrestlers, tons of Fire Nation soldiers, Azula, my _sister_, but she can't face her parents?"

Toph stopped in her tracks. After spinning around once more, she swiftly pushed Sokka to the side and kicked down the large door.

* * *

_Well, filler chapter is filler. But I'm really excited about the next chapter._

_Reviews always appreciated! :D_

_~Butterfinger_


	9. Chapter 9

_Yay. This update only took a month. ;D_

_I actually wrote a part of this chapter a year ago. In fact I added in the marriage subplot just so I could post this extremely funny dialouge. You'll know what I'm talking about when you read it. Tell me funny you think it is! :D_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. If I did, I'd probably have an Avatar costume for Halloween. Oh well._

* * *

Sokka glanced around the room nervously. Next to him, Toph scowled and kept on clenching her fists. Meanwhile, her father looked at Toph with disdain clearly etched upon his face, and her mother maintained a neutral expression.

He knew that things were about to get ugly.

"So…" Sokka started, hoping that he might break the awkward silence.

"It's so good to see you again," Toph's mother Poppy stated with a small smile.

"Even if you did just break down our fancy door," Toph's father Lao added sullenly.

"Yeah…" Toph muttered. With a deep breath, she began, "Look, I'm an earthbender, so I'm not going to dance around the topic. I came here because I wanted to face you and tell you why I don't want an arranged marriage. I would think that as your daughter, you wouldn't push the issue if I obviously don't want to do it, but since you won't listen to me as usual, Sokka here suggested that it would be better if I talked to you."

Lao glared apprehensively at the two. "Is he why you don't to be married to someone else?" He asked indignantly. "Is that the true reason you came here? Do you want to marry _him_?"

"_WHAT_?!" The supposed couple shouted together. While Toph nearly had a heart attack from the sudden accusation, Sokka blurted out, "I already have a girlfriend!"

"Oh?!" Lao's face turned red. "So you're cheating on my precious daughter with some filthy vagabond?"

Sokka was horrified at the misunderstanding. However, Toph, who had gotten over the shock of her father suggesting that she and Sokka were engaged, angrily retorted, "Don't talk to my friend like that!"

As the universe just _loves_ Sokka (it does love Toph, though, but misfortune can often be contagious), Lao apparently misheard Toph and shouted at Sokka, "You're cheating on my darling with her best friend?!"

The situation continued to spiral out of control as Toph exclaimed, "No! Katara is my best friend!"

Lao gasped, and furiously stomped over to his daughter and tried to pull her away from the hooligan who dared to commit so many unspeakable and horrible offenses. "I don't know what customs are accepted in the Water Tribe," he spat vehemently at Sokka while yanking Toph's arm to get her to budge. "But incestuous relationships are frowned upon in the Earth Kingdom."

"That's ENOUGH!" Toph screamed as she grabbed Sokka's shoulder before he could attack her father for insulting the Water Tribe. However, Sokka could still reach his club, and he waved it threateningly over his head with his free arm. Lao, still clutching Toph's arm, shook in fright as Sokka towered over him while brandishing the club. While Lao tried to hide from Sokka behind Toph, Toph tried to push the two far away from each other.

On the other side of the room, Poppy daintily wiped her mouth with a silk tissue and commented, "I think now would be a good time for supper."

* * *

It didn't seem possible, but eating dinner with the Bei Fongs was now even more awkward than sitting with them. Both Sokka and Toph glared at Lao now, but Lao ignored the stares as he looked down at his food. Poppy seemed to be the only one unaffected by the tension in the room.

"So, Toph dear," Poppy glanced at her daughter, "I suppose you have something you wanted to tell us."

"Yes, mother, I do," Toph responded icily while continuing to glower at Lao. "For one, Sokka is NOT my boyfriend. And, back to the real reason I came, I don't want to get married. And I _especially_ don't want to be in an arranged marriage."

"But dear, we only have your best interests at heart," Poppy explained gently. "Don't you want someone to provide for and protect you?"

"Protect?" Sokka snorted.

Toph kicked Sokka's leg under the table, and then she replied, "I think that after helping to win the Hundred Year War, I'll be more than able to survive on my own."

"Yes, but what if you injure yourself?" Poppy questioned delicately. "If you break your leg, what will happen then?"

"She has her friends," Sokka interjected. "I know that if she was ever in trouble, I'd be there to help her, even if she doesn't want help," he added as he gazed pointedly at the blind earthbender.

Toph seemed to understand that the last part was addressed to her rather than her parents, so she glanced away and muttered, "You're the one that always needs saving, if I remember correctly." However, her face did turn a bright shade of pink.

"Hmm…" Poppy gracefully wiped her mouth as she thought about the arguments her daughter presented. Meanwhile, Lao glanced at Sokka inquisitively before asking tentatively, "Sokka, is it? Can I speak with you privately for a moment?"

"Um…" Sokka raised an eyebrow and glanced at Toph, who merely shrugged. "Sure, I guess." As Sokka left the room with Toph's father, he noticed Toph bite her lip.

When Lao and Sokka entered the living room once more, Lao paused for a moment before stating, "I would like to formally apologize to you, Sokka. I was wrong to lash out at you like that."

Sokka resisted the urge to snort, and he replied, "No problem, I guess."

However, Lao continued, "It's just hard to come to terms with that my baby girl is so independent. I feel like if I let her go, she'll never come back."

Sokka rubbed his neck, embarrassed. _Why is he telling __**me**__ about his problems?_ He thought frantically. _I don't even know him that well! I wish I had my Wang Fire beard…_

Clearing his throat, Sokka said, "Sir, Toph has _always_ been independent."

"Not when she was a baby," Lao reminisced. "She was so affectionate back then…" Sokka suddenly visualized a baby Toph crying and reaching out for affection. Sokka chuckled at how cute Toph would have been as a baby. _Not to say she isn't cute now…_

Sokka shook his head and told Lao, "Well, you're pushing her away now by forcing her to marry. I'm sure that she would come back more often if you were more accepting of her."

"Maybe you're right," Lao sighed as he turned back to the dining room. However, he turned to Sokka once more and commented, "You know, if you were to ever want to marry my daughter, I wouldn't say no." With that, he rejoined his family.

Sokka, however, remained frozen as he processed Lao's words.

* * *

"Well, that was productive," Toph commented as she and Sokka left the Bei Fong estate. "I broke a door, saw my family, and even got them to listen to me. Not bad, huh?" She grinned as she elbowed Sokka lightly.

"Uh huh," Sokka mumbled.

"What's up with you, Snoozles?" Toph frowned. "I gave you a perfect opportunity to say how I can't _see_ my family, and you completely miss it!"

"Oh."

"Is your brain malfunctioning or something?" Toph asked as she playfully rapped her fist on Sokka's head.

Sokka glanced at the cheerful blind earthbender and found that he was suddenly smiling as well. "It's nothing," he replied as he threw an arm around Toph's shoulder. "So, where are we going next?"

"Wow, with all of our mini adventures you forgot the major goal?" Toph smirked while Sokka rolled his eyes. "No more detours for you, then. But we're heading southeast now."

With this knowledge, the events that occurred today were pushed aside as Sokka focused once more on his ultimate goal: finding his space sword.

_

* * *

_

_The next day, the night sky eagerly awaits the green sky so that they may touch again. The emptiness that he had never realized before now sears through him. It leaves him anxious to meet with the green sky again. The green sky does return, but refuses to be touched by him. Instead, the blue sky and the green sky relax with each other. Even if they don't touch, the blue sky feels satisfied with the company of the green sky._

_However, one day the night sky remembers how complete he felt when the green sky touched him. Now, the pain he almost forgot sears through him again. He desperately wants to touch the green sky, but remembers that the green sky does not want to be touched. He wants to reach out, but he is afraid that if he touches her if only for a second, the green sky will never come back. And that would be a worse pain than not being able to touch her._

_So, the night sky and the green sky remain in an uneasy arrangement where both want more but cannot act on their desires. If they touch each other once more, the repercussions may be severe._

_Meanwhile, the rest of the sky remains unaware of the night sky's and the green sky's inner turmoil. Only the purple sky watches on, unsure of what to do._

* * *

_Well, this chapter was shorter than others, but it's still okay. I hope it made you laugh! Or at least chuckle._

_And only four more chapters! :D_

_Reviews greatly appreciated!_

_~Butterfinger333_


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